The Viking age lasted from AD 790 to 1100. The Vikings were mainly from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, and
were the best shipbuilders and seamen of their time. They were able to travel long distances in their longships and attack
towns on the coasts of Britain and Ireland. They reached Greenland, Iceland, and even America.
The Vikings’ boats were long, narrow, light, and flexible. They made them out of oak wood. The typical length of a
longship was about 20 meters. The hulls of the ships were shallow so that they could dock on beaches and sail in shallow
water.
A longship had a large, square, woolen sail, which the Vikings covered in horse fat to make it waterproof. The main
power for the longship was from the oars, which were all along the ship. There were usually a crew of about 60 men who
rowed the boat.
The sailors usually placed their shields along the side of the boat for protection. They also carved the fronts of their
ships into the shape of a dragon’s head in order to scare the enemies.

【題組】39 According to this passage, what was the typical length of the Vikings’ boat?
(A)15 meters (B)20 meters (C)25 meters (D)30 meters

11.【題組】41 According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
(A)The Vikings were mainly from Iceland.
(B)The Vikings sailed to India.
(C)The Vikings were unable to travel long distances in their boats.
(D)The Vikings’ boats were designed to sail in shallow water.

13.【題組】43 According to this passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
(A)The Vikings carved the fronts of their ships into the shape of a dragon’s head to frighten enemies.
(B)The Vikings invaded the coasts of Britain and Iceland.
(C)The main power of the Vikings’ longship was the wind.
(D)The Vikings protected their boat by putting their shields along its side.

With winter upon us, offices are seeing more people calling in sick. But there are still many more who 44 coming
in, no matter how ill they are. Are they really doing any good when they drag themselves into work? It’s referred to as
“presenteeism,” where sick workers perform well below their abilities, make more mistakes, and pass their illness on to
their co-workers, 45 staying at home and getting over whatever is ailing them. A US study found that the phenomenon
of coming in when you’re sick 46 the economy up to $150 billion US. So why do people feel compelled to sit at their
desks coughing and sniffling rather than rest at home? Many workers feel their job is 47 to miss while half feel guilty
about their co-workers having to pick up the slack. Some just prefer to be at work, while others can’t afford not to be.

Healthy people are increasingly turning to brain-enhancing drugs like Ritalin for treating narcolepsy to boost their
performance in school or at work, researchers said. And while some expressed alarm over the trend, others embraced the
idea, provided the drugs are proven safe. “In the United States, stimulant medications are widely abused,” said Dr. Nora
Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse. “They are abused for a variety of reasons, including the fact
that people want to get high, but there is the realization that they are being increasingly utilized to improve cognitive
performance,” she said. “This is not something that is going away,” Volkow said, adding that researchers must study the
long-term effects these drugs might have in healthy people.
Her concern follows a commentary in the journal Nature that argues for use of the drugs in healthy adults as a
legitimate way of improving brain power, much like education, the Internet, or other helpful tools. “We should welcome
new methods of improving our brain function,” Henry Greely of Stanford Law School in California, Barbara Sahakian, a
psychiatry professor from the University of Cambridge in Britain and others wrote. They cited a recent survey that found
nearly 7 percent of students in U.S. universities have used prescription stimulants, and on some campuses, as many as a
quarter of students have used the drugs for non-therapeutic purposes. The researchers called for doctors, educators,
regulators, and others to evaluate the risks and develop policies governing the use of cognitive-enhancing drugs.
Volkow said she and other experts would discuss the issue at the meeting of American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
in Nashville, Tennessee.

【題組】48 What is the passage mainly about?
(A)The new trend of using brain-enhancing drugs.
(B)The side effects of stimulant medications.
(C)Reasons for drug abuse on campus.
(D)Helpful tools to develop potentials.

19.【題組】49 According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the reason for people’s abusing stimulants?
(A)To get high. (B)To get medical treatment.
(C)To improve brain function (D)To improve performance at school.

20.【題組】50 Which of the following is true about Dr. Nora Volkow?
(A)She thinks that the problem of abusing Ritalin is temporary.
(B)She believes that short-term effects of Ritalin should be studied.
(C)She shows her concern after some researchers argue for the use of Ritalin.
(D)She will write an article to warn people of the danger of Ritalin